Mahadevapura and Bengaluru South cast highest Nota votes

BENGALURU: Although the None of the Above (Nota) votes did not have an impact on the fortunes of candidates, the Bengaluru South and Mahadevapura constituencies polled the highest number of Nota votes in the assembly election. On the other hand, Chamarajpet and Chickpet assembly segments saw the least number of people opting for Nota.

While Bengaluru South has the highest number of votes (5.18 lakh), Mahadevapura has an active citizen group (Whitefield Rising) and houses a number of software companies. The demography of Chamarajpet and Chickpet is similar. Both are predominantly old city localities with bustling market areas. In all, 64,754 people pressed the Nota button in the 26 assembly constituencies that went to polls Saturday last.

Two constituencies are yet to vote as the Election Commission countermanded the polls in Jayanagar and deferred it in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Jayanagar’s BJP candidate BN Vijayakumar passed away in the middle of the campaign while the discovery of over 9,000 voter identity cards in RR Nagar led to polls being deferred there.

Across the state, Nota accounted for over 3.22 lakh votes (0.9% of the total votes polled).

In at least nine constituencies across the state, Nota votes were more than the victory margin of candidates. These segments include Badami, Gadag, Maski, Aland and Pavagada. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah won by a margin of 1,696 votes against BJP’s B Sreeramulu whereas Nota polled here numbered 2,007.